By Graham Howatt
The dust is yet to settle since release of the consultation draft of the proposed ADF Workplace Remuneration Arrangement (WRA) 2004-2006 and ADF roadshows are still being conducted to spread the word about the new deal and gauge members' views.

That brings us to the first point: the continued denial for ADF personnel covered by the arrangement to have the right to vote and insisting the chain of command be used as the primary mechanism to provide feedback to management before presenting this matter to the Defence Force Remuneration Tribunal (DFRT) for endorsement.

Feedback and acceptance by members is fundamental to any remuneration process but what has always concerned the Federation is the degree of uncertainty surrounding such acceptance and whether the chain of command is an appropriate mechanism to measure this. We believe it is not.

There is only one way to be certain that the majority of ADF personnel accept what is put to them and that is by allowing them to vote on the WRA.

We understand there will be some strong opposition against voting with a preference to continue with the status quo. There also seems to be an unrealistic perception that a "no" vote (if it were to occur) would undermine command relationships.

Unit commanders and the majority of ADF personnel with rank on their arms and shoulders do not put the WRA together in the first place. So a vote of "no" couldn't be seen to undermine command.

If it was good enough for the star ranks to vote on their pay arrangement last year, why can't the same courtesy be extended to the rank and file?

The Federation put the above point to CDF Gen Peter Cosgrove, when we last met with him on September 24 and while we respected each other's views, we agreed to disagree on this aspect of the WRA process.

We will have a bit more to say on the proposed arrangement after further assessment of its content and having considered the views of our membership.

• The Armed Forces Federation of Australia can be contacted on ?(02) 6260 5100, 1800 806861 or Arffa@bigpond.com

Capt (RAN) Marcus Peake, Director Salaries and Allowances responds:

A new WRA is prepared every few years and after exposing it to ADF people through "roadshows" and the chain of command it is submitted to the Defence Force Remuneration Tribunal (DFRT) for approval.

Roadshow presentations for WRA 2004-06 have been in progress since early November. They offer ADF people the opportunity to learn about the pay arrangements to be proposed and to express their views and ideas. They are one of many sources of information available to ADF units and members.

As the roadshow is now coming to an end, it is time to seek the views of ADF members on the proposed Arrangement - that is, the offer being made for pay increases and productivity issues for the 30 months from May next year.

In recognition of the special conditions that need to apply to members of a disciplined armed force, no ADF members vote on either their WRA or the Star Ranks Remuneration Arrangement (SRRA) (for officers of brigadier and major general and equivalent ranks).

The perception that star rank officers voted on the 2002 revision of their SRRA is incorrect. The views of this relatively small group (about 240 in total) were canvassed informally in an email message from DPE staff, as the most practical method to assess the views of such a widely dispersed group.

Commanders and commanding officers are expected to select and use the most suitable means at their disposal to obtain the views of their people on the WRA and SRRA, and communicate them through their chain of command.

What is the most suitable means of obtaining these views will differ from unit to unit.

While this is not a formal vote, each member does have the opportunity to express their view, and these are taken into account.

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